


Cat and Mouse

by Grey_alltheway



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-09-06 02:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20284201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grey_alltheway/pseuds/Grey_alltheway
Summary: "Why are you trying so hard to hurt me?" Her face remains untraceable.Eve doesn't answer. Instead, she asks, "Why did you shoot me?"





	1. Need a hand?

**Author's Note:**

> So, this piece is basically a possibility for how I think season 3 could begin. I'm quick to think Villanelle would go back for Eve, sort of regretting what she'd done. It seems both unlikely and very probable to me, so enjoy my first take on what could happen ;) there's another piece, an alternative, so I hope you'll look forward to that, as well.

Villanelle almost reached the entrance Eve kicked at with all her pent-up rage. 

_That was hot._

As she's walking back on the same route, Villanelle's mind flies back to bits of things she said to Eve. Spaghetti for dinner, going to Alaska, facing the world together, being normal. Her heartbeat still increases at those ideas. Make no mistake, she's still very pissed. Did Eve really think she would be left with her confession just hanging in the air, be left behind, alone? Had Eve forgotten about the gun in Villanelle's hand? Moreover, that she was not afraid to use it? She liked her, but she didn't like her that much. 

Villanelle would never be stood up. That was inconceivable. 

She descends the flight of stairs, coming to a halt in front of that poor door. 

_I love you._ Her own words ring in her head, nagging her and her conscience. Her conscience never bothered her before. 

Villanelle had been trying to shake off those words ever since she spoke them. It didn't work. She's pretty sure she meant them. 

_Damn it, I can't just leave her here then._

It would be contradictory. She was angry, but she did confess. Her fists clench involuntarily. All of a sudden, her vision is blurry. _Tears, again?_ Konstantin was right; Eve did weaken her. 

Letting out a groan of frustration, she turns around, marching back on the stairs with angry steps. She walks fast past that pond of water, until she finds herself running. Her heart is beating fast again. 

She's worried by now. She reaches the entrance, and sees Eve with her back against the ruin wall, with her hand on her bleeding abdomen. 

She relaxes when she sees Eve still breathing. 

_Twin injuries,_ she thinks quickly and smiles. 

"I knew that shot wouldn't kill you," she speaks out, making Eve's head snap in her direction. 

"You stay away from me," Eve speaks out, her voice strained. To anyone else this would be a signal to simply stay away from her, but to Villanelle it translates as a call for help, for her help. 

Villanelle walks back towards her, all while Eve attempts to crawl away. She covers maybe about a meter or so until Villanelle is in front of her. 

Just like a cat and a mouse, a perpetual chase after each other. 

"Where exactly are you planning to go, Eve?" she asks, crouching down in front of Eve. She stops trying to move. 

"Away from you," the other woman replies without missing a beat. 

Villanelle feels it again, that pang in her heart. "Why are you trying so hard to hurt me?" Her face remains untraceable. 

Eve doesn't answer. Instead, she asks, "Why did you shoot me?" 

"You upset me. I told you, it's not good to upset psychopaths," she says while shaking her head and speaking with a demeanor that suggests Eve's her next hit. 

Except she’s not. 

Eve doesn’t react to her answer. Her emotions towards Villanelle are, too, untraceable. 

Hard to tell which one is colder. 

Eve tries to sit up straight, but winces the moment she moves. 

"Come on, let's get you looked after," Villanelle says and attempts to help her stand up, but Eve instinctively pushes her away. 

Villanelle's eyebrow rises, backing away from the bleeding woman. Her instinct is to leave again, just leave all this trouble behind, but one more look at Eve trying her best to stand up and she just can't walk away. 

Instead of the entrance they used to get there, Villanelle looks behind Eve where there's another exit. Maybe that will lead somewhere. Or maybe Eve will bleed to death until they even reach any help. 

All the while, Eve tries to use the wall as support to get up. 

"Need a hand?" Villanelle offers with her devious smile. 

"Not from you," she shoots back. "Why did you come back anyway?" she looks at Villanelle once she is more or less standing on her feet. 

Villanelle doesn't know what to answer. She wouldn't want to seem like she's regretting the shot she fired, she doesn't. But being dishonest would contradict her previous statements. 

So she goes with the truth again. "I couldn't leave you here." 

Eve doesn't say anything back, she just looks at Villanelle. Maybe she's searching for the truth in her eyes. 

"Let's go through here," Villanelle suggests, taking the lead through the exit behind Eve, knowing the other woman would follow. She always does. 

They walk in silence for several minutes past all kinds of ruins, Villanelle feeling eager to find an actual exit back to humanity. She occasionally glances back to Eve, sees her struggle, but keep quiet at the same time. It's okay, she didn't shoot her anywhere vital. She didn't really mean to kill her. She should be able to hold on for a bit longer. 

Yet at one point, Eve finally speaks out. "Villanelle, can you please... stop for a second?" 

She turns around. Eve is crouching again, panting. 

"How do you even know we're getting somewhere?" Eve asked, genuinely irritated. 

"I don't. There has to be an exit, we couldn't have entered a time portal to actual ancient Rome." 

Eve looks up to her, her eyes spiteful. _Not a time to joke,_ Villanelle noted. 

She approaches her again. "Will you let me look at your wound?" 

Eve shakes her head rapidly. 

"Come on, I know these stuff." By that Villanelle actually means something like, _I know how much time you have left,_ and Eve knows it. 

Begrudgingly, Eve lifts her sweater. 

"Huh..." Villanelle simply indicates. 

"What?!" 

"It's similar to my stab wound. You're fine, you're not dying just yet," she says, and smiles softly. 

Eve continues to look at her, and Villanelle is quite sure her eyes are just a bit less tense. 

"But we should get going," she says and this time Eve accepts her help to stand up. 

Eve puts most of her weight on Villanelle, while holding her wound with her other hand. 

"Come on, I got you," Villanelle reassures her, her arm firm around Eve's waist. 

Eve scoffs. "How am I ever supposed to trust you if you do things like this? I can never know if you say the truth, and you want me to go to Alaska with you?" 

Villanelle inhales deeply, feeling her attitude shift. "I didn't lie to you. I meant everything I said.” She has to remind herself to be patient, to drop the exasperation. “You have to understand, Eve, this isn't easy for me." 

Eve remains quiet once again. Villanelle is well aware she can't be trusted, she knows that. She wouldn't even trust herself. 

Both of their wounds would remain as testimony that Eve still doesn’t grasp Villanelle’s character, after all this chasing and running around through countries to get to one another. 

Eve had gotten too comfortable with Villanelle, she didn't think she would pull the trigger after all they've been through. But Villanelle is that unpredictable. And she'd never change, it's in her essence. 

"You're right, you can't trust me," Villanelle says, as their mismatching steps walk together. "But I am helping you right now, aren't I?" 


	2. An Apology Would Be Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternative for the first chapter, a more plausible reason for Villanelle to return and help Eve.

The gunshot echoes through the old structure's walls. Villanelle lowers her gun, keeping her eyes on Eve's crashing body. Her breathing is steady. Her entire body feels detached and calm, like Eve is just another hit. In the same demeanor she turns away from an unconscious Eve and walks away. 

She should come to her senses soon enough, the shot wasn't vital. 

Villanelle wouldn't stand for something like that. She's never rejected, so why should she accept it this time? Just because it's Eve and... because it's different? 

_No,_ she shakes her head. _She's not different._

She proceeds in walking back the trail they used to get there, remembering all the things she proposed to Eve with a cold heart. _I think Eve Polastri has made you go a little soft._

She shakes her head again, more violently now. She's in her head again. 

She's reached the stairs by now, wishing to get as far away as possible. 

Yet, it doesn't seem to be up to her. Getting to the bottom of the stairs, she notices lights at the end of the tunnel. 

She hides behind the wall to quickly assess her options. There are very few. 

_I can't come face to face to them..._

_I don't have time to look for another exit..._

_Maybe I should just wait until they-_

She freezes as she remembers. 

_Eve._

With the risk of being seen, she takes the stairs by two and runs back to the big opening. She reaches it quickly enough, finding Eve backed against the wall, crouching. 

_I knew she was faking being unconscious._

Without any other introduction, she runs up to her and tells her to get up. "We have to go." 

Now, one really cannot blame Eve for the state of mind she's in. She'd just killed her first person, she was confessed to, and she's tired. She's confused, injured and really, really dizzy. 

Villanelle tries to give her a hand, but Eve pushes her away with impressive strength for her current state. "Get off me!" 

Villanelle doesn't back away, she knows they don't have much time. She grabs her by the shoulders. "Eve, I'm sorry I shot you, but you have to get up. Raymond's people found the escape route." 

Eve continues to be confused, but she gets up with Villanelle's help. 

"Come on, this way," Villanelle suggests the exit behind Eve. 

"Did you see how many people were there?" 

"I saw three men with flashlights, but there could be more behind them." 

They walk in silence for a while, only Eve's ragged breath and the sound of distant city flutter audible. They can't be that far. 

Eve does her best to obscure the injury and keep herself from bleeding out. She has Villanelle’s arm around her waist, and Villanelle knows she feels secure. 

"Why did you come back?" Eve asks, without looking up. 

"There was no other exit that I could use," she answers, smiling slyly. 

Eve scoffs, shaking her beautiful black curls. 

"And I couldn't just leave you there alone. I guess eventually you would have heard the noise and tried to walk away on your own, but you wouldn't have gotten too far," she replies earnestly. 

"Yes, I could have," Eve shoots back, still quite confident in herself even in such vulnerable moments. Villanelle loves Eve's confidence, but now she's just being irrational. 

"No, you couldn't have. I know how hard it is to manage such a wound, and you're not even trained." 

"So very supportive of you.” 

Silence followed again. Villanelle is not sure what to say. Or what would be appropriate to say. She feels like she got everything off her chest, but the moment she was rejected, questions arose. She didn’t understand Eve’s reaction, and she needed explanations. But she knew getting them out of Eve would require a lot of work. She lay her heart out and Eve stabbed at it. Villanelle was pissed and confused, but she also knew not to dive into it at the moment. 

"Can we... stop for a second?" Eve asks after a while. 

Villanelle looks behind them; she knows they've walked quite a bit and Eve must be in a lot of pain. 

"Sure, come on," she says, and points to a big, flat rock. 

Eve sits down, wincing. 

"You did mean to shoot me, didn't you?" 

Villanelle remains standing, positioning her fists on her hips. She wipes the sweat off her forehead with her wrist, while nodding. 

"Of course I did. You really upset me. I told you, you shouldn't upset psychopaths." 

Eve scoffs again. “This seems like your excuse, don’t you think?” 

Villanelle doesn’t argue. 

"An apology would be nice," she points out instead, without any shame. 

"It would, actually, I'm still waiting for one," Eve replied. 

Villanelle smiles anyway, and even Eve lets down her high fences, looking like she might start smiling. She's interrupted by a flashing pain in her abdomen, making her wince. 

"Will you let me take a look?" Villanelle asks like she's her friendly neighborhood doctor. 

Eve is incredulous, seconds away from denying. 

"I do have more experience, don't I?" 

She can't argue on this one. 

Begrudgingly, Eve lifts her sweater, letting Villanelle examine it. 

"Did you really mean everything you said?" Eve suddenly asks. 

Villanelle looks up at her, and her eyes seeming to soften. 

"Of course I did. You know, Eve, this is the first time I really meant those words." 

Eve doesn't say anything. Was it really the first time? 

"We should get going," she says and helps Eve stand once more, this time with more difficulty. 

Eve may not believe her; she supposes so, but still has trouble accepting that. 

_I wouldn't be here if I didn't care, would I?_


	3. You're Not Heavy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eventually, Eve wakes up in a hospital with throbbing pain. No close friend or relative knows she's there, but a late night visitor does. She always knows where Eve is.

When Eve opens her eyes, it’s dark. 

Her head feels heavy and the acute pain in her stomach makes it hard for her to breathe. She places her hand to the affected area, and remembers the overturn of situation from the previous day. 

The day had been too eventful, too many things to think about. 

She simply lifts her head, an action which she thought could never hurt so much, but the truth always surprises. She sees a lot of white; the sheets spread over her are white, the walls surrounding her are white, and light outside the door is blindly white. Only the night outside her window is pitch black. 

So they reached a hospital, after all. They did, but for the love of anything, she cannot remember how. 

She feels like she can’t keep her eyes open anymore, yet her mind starts recovering fractured images, trying to figure out what happened after all. 

But her body fights against detective work, and she falls back to a heavy, empty sleep. 

* * * 

The second time she wakes up, it’s day. 

Her head doesn’t pound anymore, but her stomach seems to be hurting even more, somehow. 

Her surroundings are much clearer now. She’s in a single hospital room, but it’s empty. Besides her bed, a nightstand and a chair in a corner of the room, there’s nothing else. Not even the clothes she had been previously wearing. 

She’s confused as to how she got here. 

It had been a very exhausting day. 

There are too many events to analyze, so she chooses the most shocking one. It’s probably Villanelle coming back for her. 

It should be her slaughtering Raymond, but that’s too harrowing to get into. 

Villanelle shooting her was a surprise at the time, but later on, she figured it was logical. Villanelle could never change. Love wouldn’t change her. Love isn’t something she understands, it’s something she wants to have. Not even to share, but rather to posses. 

The shot she fired at Eve was out of anger. What Eve had chosen to do, to walk away, was not convenient to Villanelle. So, she wouldn't stand for it, for the betrayal, for the shame, Eve figures. 

Her mind goes to Anna, to Nadia, both women whom Villanelle loved, but didn’t hesitate to play them around as she desired. 

She knows she should be scared, but she’s never felt this stimulated. 

Eve is lying on a hospital bed, wincing every time she takes a breath, and yet her history with Villanelle doesn’t fail to stir her. Their never-ending chase kept her vigilant for so long, she feels like she never wants to lose consciousness again. All the things Villanelle did to get her attention, they woke something she never thought she had. To her, Villanelle is an eternal mystery, a ceaseless flame that will never burn out and her fascination and curiosity is the only thing that keeps her from hating her guts. 

Her thoughts are interrupted by a nurse. 

“It’s good to see you’re awake, ma’am,” she says with a kind tone. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m… fine,” she responds robotically. “I’ve got a couple of questions, though.” 

“I would, too,” she laughs, without amusing Eve. “But I need to ask you something first. Can you tell me your name? There was no ID on you, and the person who found you didn’t know it either.” 

“It’s Eve Polastri. Where am I?” Eve inquires quickly. The woman’s foreign-but-not-italian accent agitates her. 

“At the Rome American Hospital,” she replies just as kindly, as she checks Eve’s IV. 

“Who brought me here?” 

“It was a young, tall woman. She had blonde hair and she was wearing red overalls. Oh, it was quite a beautiful-” 

“When did she leave?” she interrupts after identifying the description. 

“I think she left after she brought you in. She told us how she found you, and then I think she left, I didn’t see her anymore.” She was now looking at the monitor and writing down numbers. Eve wishes she’d drop it for a second and talk to her. 

“What did she say happened?” 

The nurse looks at her a little strangely, probably because of Eve's impatience. “Well, she said she found you on a recluse street, unconscious, with a gunshot wound to your abdomen.” 

Eve scoffs. “Really… by any chance, doctor, did you happen to catch her accent?” 

“British, as a matter of fact. Do you recognize the description?” 

Eve thinks for a second. “No, no I don’t. I guess I just have to be grateful for this selfless person, then,” she says and fake laughs. 

The nurse nods, but she seems a little scared now. “Do you happen to remember why, or how you got shot?” 

“I don’t, unfortunately. I don’t remember almost anything from that day,” she lies with intent. 

Because she does. She remembers everything. Vividly. 

The nurse cleared her throat, appearing unsure of what to do next. _She must be an intern,_ Eve assumes. 

“So, if you don’t have any more questions, I’ll leave you to rest, and check up on you later.” 

She didn’t get to talk to the nurse again that day, as she fell asleep after overthinking again, and woke up in the middle of the night. 

This time, though, she wasn’t alone. 

A figure was seated next to her bed. She recognized her pretty quickly, because who else could be by her hospital bed side, in Rome, at midnight? 

“I’m glad to see you’re getting better, Eve.” Villanelle’s voice is smooth, strangely calming. Especially since Eve loves her accent. 

“How come you’re here?” 

She tries to sit up a bit, and, despite the pain, she actually manages to do so. She sees Villanelle better now. 

“Well, how could I not be? I’m happy to actually talk to you this time,” she replies, leaning forward and smiling. 

It feels good to see that smile, Eve finds. 

“Oh, so this isn’t the first time?” Eve raises her eyebrows. 

“Of course not. I hated not knowing how you feel, so I came by. The first two nights passed slower, since you were out,” she informs Eve and, after spacing out for a couple of seconds, she concludes, “but you’re healing. I’m glad.” She smiles again. 

She seems genuine. 

But she’s Villanelle. 

“Oh, and judging by your wound, you should be in here for another week.” 

Eve closes her eyes; she really tries to get over this part. Villanelle coming to see her every night, checking her wound, most probably talking to her. It doesn’t click with being normal, but she does enjoy the attention. 

Being watched by Villanelle. 

“How did I get here, though?” 

“I carried you,” she simply replies. 

When Eve can’t find words to say, Villanelle adds, “You’re not heavy.” 

Eve fights off a smile. It’s hard. 

Somehow, she finds it normal that Villanelle comes to “visit” like this. After that confession, she’d be surprised if she wouldn’t be around. 

“Are we gonna talk about what happened?” Eve asks. 

“What is there to talk about?” 

“Well, you confessed, I rejected you and you didn’t like it,” she puts it plainly. 

Villanelle doesn’t say anything for a second. “What is there to talk about?” she asks again, but Eve notices there’s a slight shift in her attitude. 

_Yellow flags. Drop the subject or you might get another shot._

She doesn’t know what to say. She can’t say I love you back. She can’t start a therapy session with Villanelle. But she likes her presence. She doesn’t want to drive her away. 

“So… what have you been up to? Where are you staying?” 

“Oh, here and there. Doing this and that; some hits to take care of. Thinking of you,” she says nonchalantly. 

“You managed to find a place to stay?” 

“Of course. You know me,” Villanelle replies and smiles, maybe a little weaker now. 

Eve has a feeling she’s lying and suddenly she finds herself worried. She knows it’s stupid, but this whole past year has been stupid, so what does it matter? 

Eve looks out the door; it’s silent, not much is going on. She hopes Ms. Nice Nurse won’t be coming back for a while. 

She scoots over in her bed, as much as her injury would allow. 

“You can rest here for a bit,” she said, tapping on the space that emptied next to her. 

Villanelle raises her brow. She smiles, but she doesn’t ask anything. 

There are several questions to ask, but neither bother at this point. They’re both very tired, and would like a quiet moment. 

So, Villanelle gets on the bed and lies down next to Eve, careful not to move too much. 

She turns to her side, and Eve can smell her perfume better now. If she listens carefully, she can hear her heartbeat. 

Neither of them really trusts the other. 

But both of them want to be there, in that moment, just that close, without having to say anything. 

Like it’s the most natural thing, Villanelle places her hand near Eve’s wound. Eve feels her eyes focus on her. It does feel natural, so Eve takes her own over Villanelle’s, intertwining their fingers. It’s warm, her whole presence is warm and tranquil, despite her volcanic personality. She closes her eyes and tries to calm her racing heart. 

She missed this connection with another human; she hasn’t felt this calm and in-place next to Niko for too long now. 

Somehow, in spite of everything, this feels right. 

She closes her eyes, listening to Villanelle’s serene breathing. 

When she wakes up again, she’s gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we've reached the end to the story. Admittedly, it's been a short one, but I've enjoyed writing it, and I hope you've liked reading it too. Thanks for all the kudos and support!


End file.
